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Bangla expats pay tributes to fallen heroes

ABU DHABI - The Bangladesh embassy observed in the capital yesterday the 52nd anniversary of the Martyrs’ Day and the International Mother Tongue Day with patriotic fervour and solemnity.

The national flag was raised and lowered at half-mast in the morning by Mirza Shamsuzzaman, ambassador of Bangladesh, in the presence of a cross section of the community including officials, students and teachers of the Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Bangladesh Islamia School.

A discussion was held later with the participation of socio-cultural organisations to highlight the significance of the day.

Mr Shamsuzzaman recalled the sacrifices made by those who took part in the movement to uphold the dignity of the Bengali language before and after February 21, 1952. He expressed gratitude to the expatriate Bangladeshis who took the lead to get the Language Day declared as the International Mother Tongue Day by Unesco in 1999.

"The historic language movement paid a far-reaching and significant role in awakening our national consciousness, and Bengali language is one of the principal ingredients of our separate nationhood," he said.

Mr Shamsuzzaman read out the messages from Bangladesh president, prime minister, foreign minister and minister of state for foreign affairs, on the occasion. An essay competition for students was also held to mark the occasion and prizes were given away to the winners. A cultural programme was held later to commemorate the occasion. A prayer meeting was also held, seeking salvation for the martyrs' souls.